Woman develops accent after stroke

WINDSOR, Ontario, July 3 (UPI) -- A woman who had a stroke and developed a Newfoundland accent is the first Canadian documented case of foreign accent syndrome, doctors said.

Rose Dore, 52, has been examined by neurologists and researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, since her stroke two years ago, the Globe and Mail reported.

The woman has never been to Newfoundland, but now speaks with the regional accent, which includes dropping the 'th' from words, saying 'dat' instead of that and 'tink' instead of think, the report said.

Dr. Alexandre Sevigny, an associate professor of cognitive science at McMaster said there have been other documented cases around the world, including one in Britain where a woman woke up after a stroke and started talking with what sounded like a Jamaican accent.

Sevigny said there is no one spot in the brain responsible for accents, and scans of Dore's brain showed she suffered damage in three areas, the report said.

Dore said she has no idea what happened.

"My family thinks it's cute, but I don't," she told the newspaper.